


Hey stupid, I love you

by SleepDeprivedIdiot__xoxo



Series: Tales of Haikyuu [6]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-16
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:07:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28105977
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SleepDeprivedIdiot__xoxo/pseuds/SleepDeprivedIdiot__xoxo
Summary: Sometimes people need a little reminder about how much they mean to someone.Sometimes that someone has to say the same things over and over again.Sometimes the someone has to put in a little more effort and spend a little more time.And, sometimes, that someone has to just come right out and say what needs to be said.But it's all worth it in the end, especially if it means that Akaashi would always remember just how much he means to Bokuto.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou
Series: Tales of Haikyuu [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2023691
Comments: 2
Kudos: 24





	Hey stupid, I love you

_Hey, are you still awake?_ \-- Akaashi.

 _Yep_ \-- Bokuto. 

Bokuto squinted hard as the harsh light from his phone lit up his otherwise pitch black room. The screen read _2:11am_. Half of his face was buried into his pillow, and his fuzzy, grey blanket wrapped around his whole body from the tops of his shoulders to well past his feet. The quiet hum of the heater coupled with the soft ticks from his bedroom clock played like a lullaby to the half-asleep volleyball player. 

But just as Bokuto’s eye drooped shut, his phone began to buzz in his hand. He snapped his head up from the pillow and quickly flipped onto his back before answering the call from Akaashi and pressing the phone against his ear. 

“Hey,” Bokuto whispered in a hoarse voice. He cleared his throat loudly and swallowed thickly before repeating in a more steady and awake sounding tone, “Hey.” 

“Hi,” Akaashi’s soft voice sounded on the other end of the line. “Were you sleeping?” 

“Yeah, but don’t worry about it. I fell asleep doing math, so your call saved me a day’s worth of detention,” Bokuto easily replied, glancing to his desk where, in the darkness, he could barely make out the outlines of his math workbooks that he had finished working in over three hours ago. 

“Oh, I’m glad then,” Akaashi responded in a quiet but pleased tone. “Are you almost done?” 

“I’d say about 75%,” Bokuto started, stifling a huge yawn behind his fist. “Why? What’s up?” 

“Just…” A pause. “The usual I guess.” 

“Ah,” Bokuto teased with a small smile. “A certain little insomniac having trouble sleeping?” 

“Maybe,” Akaashi quietly scoffed over the phone. Bokuto smirked as he could all but see a furiously blushing Akaashi standing in front of him. Not that Bokuto wasn’t also furiously blushing himself.

“Well then,” Bokuto said, stretching his arm high above him before settling it behind his head. “What’ll it be for tonight? I’ve got the Bokuto special, the Akaashi deluxe, the --” 

“Oh god, please stop,” Akaashi laughed, making Bokuto laugh as well. 

“Are you sure? Because I _do_ have other combos all ready like the Boku-Rai combo platter.” 

“Ah, I see,” Akaashi chuckled. “And what does that one entail?” 

“Definitely _not_ an air horn and a loudspeaker.” 

“Lord, do I even want to know how you and Rai-san would use those particular items?” 

“Probably not,” Bokuto confessed with a laugh. “But wanna hear some fun gossip about Rai?” 

“Oh, uhm. Sure?” 

“Okay, so,” Bokuto started, shifting onto his side so that his phone laid flat on the side of his face. “Do you remember when Kuroo asked Rai to the amusement park last week?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Yeah, so, apparently, he “ _forgot”_ to mention that he was setting her up on a blind, double date with some dude in his class.” 

“Wait really? Why?” 

“Because the dude from his class said that he would introduce Kuroo to this cute girl if Kuroo would get Rai to go on a date with him. But, the problem was that Rai had already met the kid from Kuroo’s class earlier that week and didn’t like him, and Kuroo knew she was gonna say no. So his “brilliant” idea was to set Rai up on a blind date and not tell her about it until the start of the date!” 

Bokuto let out a loud, bellowing laugh before, suddenly, he nearly jumped out of his skin as a series of sharp and piercing barks echoed throughout his house. He sat up straight and threw his blanket off of him as he quickly spluttered out “WaitOneSec” before running out of his room. Moments later, he returned with a hyperactive ball of white fuzz that struggled in vain against Bokuto’s strong embrace. 

Bokuto quietly closed his bedroom door while simultaneously putting the sparky pup onto the ground. The pup barked once more, earning a harsh “shhh” from Bokuto, before taking off towards Bokuto’s bed and running head first into a giant, green plush sitting on the floor just next to the bed. 

“Riceball,” Bokuto quietly chided with a sigh, propping the plush back up. Bokuto plopped down onto his bed and picked up Riceball, holding the pup at eye level until the two were staring directly at each other. “How are you so stupid but so cute?” 

As if in response, Riceball growled and yapped once more, making Bokuto scowl and place the pup onto the bed. Giving a grand sigh, Bokuto picked up his phone that he had thrown haphazardly onto his pillow.

“Hey, sorry about that. I woke Riceball and had to get him into my room before he woke up my parents,” Bokuto said, casting Riceball a glare as the dog vigorously attempted to dig a hole into Bokuto’s bed. 

“It’s okay,” Akaashi chuckled over the phone. 

“Anyways, as I was saying. Rai was forced to go on a double date and nearly gave the poor guy a heart attack by having him ride a coaster. Now, she’s out to get Kuroo for using her as a bargaining chip to help him get with this other girl.”

“So, is Rai-san mad that Kuroo-san’s date went well?” 

“No,” Bokuto groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “I _wish_ she was. It’d be so much easier to get those two hardheads together if she felt even the littlest bit jealous of that other girl. But Rai’s all like “meh, I don’t really care, he can date whoever he wants”.” 

“Right,” Akaashi slowly started through the phone. 

Bokuto quirked an eyebrow at the strange note in Akaashi’s tone. “What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing’s wrong. I was just wondering if maybe Rai-san doesn’t actually like Kuroo-san like that?” 

“Nah, she does, trust me,” Bokuto re-assured, swinging his legs onto his bed and curling his body around Riceball who had claimed the entire center of the bed for himself. “She’s been my best friend since before we could both walk. I swear I know her better than she knows herself.” 

“You really think that?” 

“Oh yeah. Big time,” Bokuto chuckled, snuggling in tighter around Riceball. “According to our parents, we’ve been like two peas in a pod since day one. Like, this one time when we were in first grade, we both broke out of class together and walked home. A couple hours later, the school ended up calling our parents and the police, and there was this whole fiasco until my mom finally came home and found me and Rai making a mess in the kitchen.” 

“I-- no. You can’t be serious?” Akaashi’s disbelief translated crystal clear over the phone, making Bokuto laugh. 

“Deadly. It was so bad. The kindergarten almost expelled the both of us because of it. My dad had to go down to the school board and practically beg them to give us a second chance.” 

“I never realized how close you and Rai-san were.” 

“Yeah,” Bokuto laughed, ruffling Riceball’s ears. “Actually, when we were growing up, people used to think we were twins because we were always doing stuff together, especially since we’re neighbors and our families are close. We thought it was funny at first, but when we got to middle school people started to think we were dating so it just got weird and gross.”

A visible shudder wracked Bokuto’s body as he let out a disgusted “ick” into the phone. Akaashi’s soft laughter resounded in Bokuto’s ear, making Bokuto smile brightly to himself. 

“So, you don’t like when people think you two are dating?” 

“What?” Bokuto asked, taken aback by the question. “No way. Sure, Rai’s awesome and pretty and stuff. But she’s not exactly my… type.” 

“You have a “type”?” Akaashi teased over the phone, making Bokuto scowl while a brilliant red bloomed over his features. 

“You don’t?” Bokuto shot back, only earning laughter from Akaashi. 

“I never said that.” 

“What’s your type then?” Bokuto asked, feeling his heart skip a beat in the process. 

“What’s _your_ type?” 

“Oh god, stop,” Bokuto laughed, shifting slightly around Riceball. “As an 18 year old guy, I absolutely refuse to play this game.” 

“That’s fair,” Akaashi chuckled over the phone. Bokuto smiled brightly to himself, blowing gently on Riceball’s nose and startling the sleeping dog awake. 

“So,” Bokuto started, expertly maneuvering himself underneath his covers without pushing Riceball off the bed. “Now that I’m _fully_ awake, want to listen to me rant about how badly Looper fucked up time travel theory?” 

“What’s Looper?” 

“A movie with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. We should watch it sometime, it’s an…. experience,” Bokuto laughed. 

“Sounds fun,” Akaashi responded. Bokuto heard the soft rustle of bedsheets come through the phone. A moment later, Akaashi spoke again. “Okay, ready.” 

“Alright,” Bokuto started, taking a deep breath and pursing his lips. “So, the basic premise of the movie is that there are these contract killers in the present day called loopers who are supposed to kill people sent back to the past from the future by the mafia. Does that make sense?” 

“Yes?” Akaashi slowly responded over the phone. 

“Okay so. The movie starts off with the singular timeline theory that says the past, present, and future all exist on one spatial plane in a singular line. It’s where the butterfly effect comes into play. You change one thing in the past and the whole future is altered. Simple enough, right?” 

“Right.” 

“Right. But then, they start to mix in random elements of the multiverse theory where time exists on multiple planes of existence. So, instead of the butterfly effect, you have this theory that says that for every decision that you don’t make, there is a universe that exists where you _did_ make that decision. And _that_ universe is different from the present universe you are living in.”

“Okay,” came Akaashi’s quiet response. Bokuto smiled softly to himself as he imagined Akaashi’s eyes drooping shut after just a few minutes of Bokuto’s inane rant. 

“So, my problem with the movie is that it starts of by explaining time travel using the singular timeline theory, but then, half-way through the movie, they have this alternate universe scenario, and instead of trying to explain it, they just brush it off by saying “don’t try to think about it too hard, it’s too complicated”. Like, that’s total bullshit. If you set up rules for your fictional universe, you can’t just break them for no good reason. You have to have some kind of explanation or else your whole world just collapses and the viewer or reader gets totally pulled out of the story.” 

Bokuto paused and listened carefully into his phone. After a few moments of silence, Bokuto smiled once more and settled into his bedsheets. 

“And the worst part is,” Bokuto started again in a slow and soft whisper. “At the end of the movie, they totally combined the singular timeline theory and the multiverse theory into one, which was just a complete mess that made no sense whatsoever.”

Bokuto continued to talk in a low and quiet voice until, eventually, his words became slurred and nearly incomprehensible. He wasn’t quite sure what time he actually fell asleep, but he was sure to give the comatose Akaashi a “goodnight, sweet dreams'' before finally hanging up and turning in for the rest of the night himself. 

________

“Dude, it’s a _penguin_ ,” Rai insisted, jabbing the giant, green plush pressed tightly against Bokuto’s chest. 

“Owl,” Bokuto shot back with a scowl, shrugging his shoulder to re-adjust the gym bag slung over his shoulder. 

“Penguin.” 

“Owl.” 

“Penguin!” 

“Owl!” 

“Bokuto, oh my god.” 

“Rai, oh my god,” Bokuto mockingly repeated while making a face at Rai. Rai scoffed and rammed Bokuto’s shoulder with her own, successfully throwing the taller boy off balance and making him drop the plush. “Rai!”

“Shit shit, sorry!” Rai quickly yelped, snatching the plush off the ground in an instant and turning it over in her hands. “I don’t think there’s anything on it.” 

“Are you sure?” Bokuto asked, taking the plush and examining it himself. He squinted his eyes and brought the plush so close to his face that his nose brushed against the fuzzy material. 

“Pretty sure,” Rai commented, also staring intently at the plush. 

“Okay,” Bokuto slowly responded, bringing the plush down and bouncing it once in his hand before pressing it against his chest again. 

“Sorry,” Rai apologized as the duo started walking towards school once more, grinning sheepishly at Bokuto. Bokuto squinted his eyes at her and pursed his lips. 

“Admit it’s an owl, and I’ll forgive you.” 

“Guess you’re never forgiving me then.” 

“Stay unforgiven then.” 

“Fine.” 

“Fine.” 

Bokuto and Rai both started to laugh, pushing each other playfully, but being careful not to knock the plush onto the ground again. A few minutes later, the gates to the school came into view just on the horizon, and Rai turned to Bokuto. 

“So, what’re you gonna say when you give it to him?” 

Bokuto hummed and looked up to the sky. “Not sure yet. I’m debating between something cool and suave or something stupid and cute.” 

“You could compromise and do something cool and stupid,” Rai chuckled. 

“Oh, you’re right,” Bokuto agreed with a bright smile. “I’ll do that. Something cool to be serious, but also something stupid to be funny and not so serious.” 

“A perfect balance,” Rai laughed. “When’re you gonna give it to him?” 

“I was thinking after school right before practice.” 

“Sounds good,” Rai replied with a smile. Then, she furrowed her eyebrows. “Wait, where are you going to keep it until then? Unless you plan on carrying a huge, stuffed penguin around with you all day.” 

“Owl. And I was kinda hoping you would keep it in your locker until after school?” Bokuto asked with a sheepish smile. Rai scoffed and rolled her eyes. 

“Of course you were.” 

“Please?” 

Rai narrowed her eyes at Bokuto, and Bokuto clapped his hands in front of his face in a pleading motion. The sight of the 6 foot tall wing spiker clutching a green owl/penguin plush while begging a barely 5 foot 2 inch libero was enough to make anyone laugh. But Rai, instead, gasped and ripped the plush out of Bokuto’s arms. 

“Dude--” 

“Hey, Akaashi,” Rai immediately interrupted Bokuto, squeezing the plush against her chest and grinning widely at the approaching, sleepy setter. 

“Akaashi, hi,” Bokuto sputtered as he spun around and stepped slightly in front of Rai in a desperate attempt to hide the plush from Akaashi’s eyes. 

“Goodmorning,” Akaashi groggily replied, quirking an eyebrow at the flustered duo. Akaashi paused just a moment before pointing to the plush. “What’s that?” 

“Oh, just, uhm,” Bokuto stammered, glancing awkwardly between Akaashi and Rai. “I got it… for... her…?” 

“You did?” Akaashi asked. Bokuto turned to him, eyes wide and mouth slightly agape. 

“Yeah, for Kuroo,” Rai added, pushing Bokuto to the side and smiling at Akaashi. “I was going to use it in my next prank on him for setting me up on a surprise, blind date.” 

“Right,” Akaashi slowly responded. His eyes seemed a bit unfocused and face blank, and Bokuto smiled softly to himself when he noticed how the back of Akaashi’s hair stuck up in odd places. 

“Yeah,” Rai said, flashing Akaashi a smile and turning to Bokuto. “I should get going, see you at lunch.” 

“Kay, have a good practice,” Bokuto replied, holding out a fist. Rai smiled and bumped her fist against his before jogging off towards the girl’s locker room. 

“Bokuto-san?” Bokuto turned to Akaashi and quirked an eyebrow. 

“What’s up?” 

“I-- uhm…,” Akaashi started, glancing away twice while biting his bottom lip. Bokuto furrowed his eyebrows and pursed his lips. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing,” Akaashi finally said, looking at Bokuto and smiling softly. “Just, thanks for talking last night.” 

“Any time,” Bokuto replied with a smile, silently cheering when a light pink dusted Akaashi’s cheeks and nose. “Did you sleep well?” 

“I did,” Akaashi responded with a gentle smile. “Did you finish your homework?” 

“Yep!” Bokuto chirped, starting to walk through the school gate and towards the boy’s locker room. Akaashi followed closely next to Bokuto, gazing fondly upon the taller boy. “So, I realized during my rant that none of it probably made sense out of context.” 

“Kind of,” Akaashi chuckled. “But it’s okay.” 

“No, no,” Bokuto firmly rejected. “It’s important to me that you understand just how badly they messed up time travel. Wanna get together this weekend at my place and watch it? I’ll provide snacks and refreshments.” 

“Oh,” Akaashi started, eyes wide and lips parted slightly. Then, a small smile grew on his lips. “Okay. I’d like that.”

“Good,” Bokuto replied with a determined nod. The two walked in silence for a few moments, Bokuto smiling to himself and Akaashi staring at the ground. 

“Will Rai-san be there too?” Akaashi quietly asked, glancing away from Bokuto. 

“I wasn’t planning on inviting her,” Bokuto replied, furrowing his eyebrows. “But I can if you want me to?” 

“No,” Akaashi quickly responded, immediately clamping his mouth shut as soon as the words left his lips. “I mean.” A pause. “I was just asking.” 

“Ah,” Bokuto replied, turning his head slightly to hide the growing smirk on his lips. “Yeah, no. I was thinking a movie night for just the two of us.” Then, Bokuto turned to Akaashi and smiled. “Sound good?” 

“Yeah,” Akaashi started with a soft smile. “Sounds good.” 

_________

Bokuto pressed his back against the cold and rough, concrete wall and slid down until he sat on the grass next to Rai. Students of all years bustled throughout the courtyard, each carrying lunch boxes or sacks while chatting animatedly with one another. Rai and Bokuto sat against a corner of one of the buildings in one of the only patches of grass throughout the entire courtyard. 

“I’m exhausted,” Bokuto complained, stretching his arms above his head and giving a jaw popping yawn. 

“You seemed fine this morning?” Rai commented, unwrapping her sandwich and taking out a bottle of peach yogo from her lunch bag. 

“Yeah, because I chugged an energy drink before I left the house,” Bokuto replied as he pressed the palms of his hands into his eyes. 

“Did you stay up late?” 

“Kind of.” 

“Math?” 

“Nah, Akaashi.” 

“Oo-lala,” Rai teased, taking a bite out of her sandwich. “Do tell.” 

“Not like that, you horn-dog,” Bokuto laughed, bumping her lightly with his shoulder. “He couldn’t sleep, so he called and we just talked for a bit.” 

“Bout what?” Rai asked, laughing quietly while chewing her food.

“This and that,” Bokuto mused as he brought his own lunch bag in front of him and started to unpack two sandwiches and a bottle of water. “I told him about that blind date that Kuroo set you up on, then I ranted for a while about Looper.” 

“Oh my god,” Rai exaggeratedly groaned. “Did you explain to him how they fucked up the time travel theories?” 

“Yes!” Bokuto exclaimed, sitting up straight and turning to Rai. “I’m still so mad about it.” 

“Same,” Rai agreed with a nod. “They really should’ve just stuck to the singular timeline theory. It made so much more sense with how they ended the movie.” 

“Right?” Bokuto said, taking a huge bite out of his sandwich. 

Through bites of food, Bokuto told Rai about his (one-sided) conversation with Akaashi about the movie when, out of the corner of his eye, Bokuto saw a familiar figure walking towards them. Bokuto turned to face the figure and smiled brightly while patting the ground just next to him. 

“Hey, Akaashi,” Bokuto greeted. 

“Hey,” Akaashi replied, looking at both Bokuto and Rai while taking a seat where Bokuto had indicated. “What’re you guys talking about?”

“Looper,” Rai replied, popping the rest of her sandwich into her mouth before taking a swig of peach yogo. “Bokuto told me that he went off on his usual rant about how badly they fucked up the time travel bit to you?” 

“Oh, yeah,” Akaashi quietly chuckled, glancing quickly at a beaming Bokuto. “He did. Have you seen the movie?” 

“Yeah, Bokuto and I saw it in theatres when it came out,” Rai responded with a smile. “Have you seen it?” 

“We’re gonna see it this weekend,” Bokuto replied. He turned to Akaashi and smiled. “Right?” 

“Right,” Akaashi responded blankly with a small nod. 

“I think you’ll like it,” Rai commented, clapping her hands together to brush off the crumbs. “If you can get past the blatant disregard for spacetime theory.” 

“I didn’t realize you and Bokuto-san liked that kind of stuff,” Akaashi quietly commented while unpacking his lunch. 

“Yeah, we do,” Rai chuckled with a smirk. “It’s actually the closest thing to math and physics that Bokuto is good at.” 

“Hey,” Bokuto protested. “That’s not true. I’m pretty good at baking, and _that_ requires some basic chemistry knowledge.” 

“You bake?” Akaashi asked, furrowing his eyebrows at Bokuto. 

“God, don’t get him started,” Rai complained with a groan. “You think he can talk for hours about time travel? Ask him about his “perfect recipe” for carrot cake some time.” 

“Stay jealous,” Bokuto retorted, sticking his tongue out to Rai before turning to Akaashi and smiling. “I’ll make you something when you come over.” 

“You don’t have to,” Akaashi replied with a small, half-smile. 

“I know, but I want to,” Bokuto reassured with a full, bright smile. 

Akaashi paused a moment, then nodded and laughed lightly. “Okay then.” 

“Good luck,” Rai chuckled, casting Akaashi a sympathetic look. “He can get kind of bossy in the kitchen, so don’t take it personally.” 

“I do not,” Bokuto shot back with a glare. “I’m only bossy with you because you never read the recipe.” 

“I don’t need to read the recipe because I have it memorized,” Rai argued back, crossing her arms and returning Bokuto’s glare. “Plus, I’m not the one who’s always trying to change the recipe.” 

“I’m not changing the recipe, I’m just using different ingredients.” 

“Yeah, weird ingredients! I mean,” Rai paused a moment to peer over to Akaashi who sat in stunned silence. “Would _you_ put mayo in a cookie recipe?” 

“I told you,” Bokuto interjected before Akaashi could reply. “Mayo is just oil and egg whites. Plus, it adds a nice texture to the cookies!” 

“It’s _weird_ ,” Rai insisted, crumbling up the wrapping her sandwich came in and throwing it into her lunch bag. 

“You’re weird.”

“ _You’re_ weird!” 

Bokuto and Rai glared at each other as an uncomfortable silence settled between Akaashi and the duo. Akaashi watched in hesitant nervousness, waiting for one of the two seniors to finally break the silence. When neither of them did, Akaashi cleared his throat quietly and garnered the attention of the two idiots. 

“Should I leave?” Akaashi asked, pursing his lips and glancing down at the grass. 

“No, why?” Rai asked, furrowing her eyebrows. 

“Just feels like you guys are having a lover’s quarrel,” Akaashi chuckled, glancing quickly up at Bokuto and Rai and smiling sheepishly. 

“Gross,” Rai gagged, pulling her legs into a criss-cross. “I pity the fool who ends up with this dunce.” 

“Rude,” Bokuto shot back with a small scowl as Rai flashed him a toothy and exaggerated grin. 

“You love me.” 

“No, not really,” Bokuto replied with an exasperated smirk. Rai laughed and jumped up onto her feet, brushing off the rest of the crumbs from her skirt. 

“Imma head out a bit early,” she started, picking up her lunch bag. “I wanna run down to the convenience store and grab a snack before lunch ends. Do you want anything?” 

“Caffeine,” Bokuto immediately replied, fishing out a few dollars from his wallet and holding it out to Rai. 

“Kay,” she said before turning to Akaashi. “Akaashi?” 

“I’m good, thanks,” Akaashi replied with a smile. 

Rai nodded and turned to leave, and Bokuto watched as she briskly made her way to the center of the courtyard. Suddenly, she turned around, locked eyes with him, and flashed him two thumbs up. A burning heat bloomed across Bokuto’s face, and he shot her a deathly glare, making her laugh before turning tail and speeding away. 

“Bokuto-san?” Bokuto turned to Akaashi and quirked an eyebrow, desperately willing away the redness in his face. “Are you and Rai-san dating?” 

Bokuto’s eyes widened at the sudden question, and Akaashi seemed equally shocked because he quickly turned away before Bokuto could form a response. Bokuto opened his mouth, but when he noticed the deep red, almost purple color in the tips of Akaashi’s ears, he paused and quirked his lips to the side into a small frown. 

“Akaashi,” Bokuto started, waiting for the setter to look at him before continuing. “I promise. We’re _just_ friends. If I’m lying to you, I swear, I’ll quit the team and never play volleyball again. Okay?” 

A tense silence fell between the two boys as Akaashi stared dumbfoundedly at Bokuto. Bokuto frowned lightly before smiling and poking Akaashi’s cheek. Akaashi scowled at the sudden playfulness, making Bokuto laugh and the weird atmosphere dissipate into something warm and comforting. 

“Besides,” Bokuto casually started, dutifully ignoring Akaashi’s stare. “Unless Rai suddenly grows a pair of balls, she really isn’t my type.” 

“Oh,” came Akaashi’s surprised and only response. Bokuto glanced at the boy and smirked to himself as he took in Akaashi’s stunned and more than slightly embarrassed expression. 

“Yeah,” Bokuto chuckled. “So. I promise. Just friends.” 

“Right,” Akaashi replied with a smile. “Just friends.” 

__________

Bokuto stifled a huge yawn behind his fist as he clutched the green penguin/owl plush to his chest with one arm. He leaned against the school gate, feeling his eyes drooping shut and the weight of his gym bag and backpack growing heavier with every second. Bokuto’s head started to bob up and down as the boy struggled to stay awake when, suddenly, he heard his name being called. When he looked up, he smiled and stood up straight. 

“Hey,” Bokuto greeted as Akaashi walked up to him. Akaashi still wore his school uniform and, like Bokuto, held a gym bag and backpack. 

“Hi,” Akaashi replied with a smile. “Why did you wanna meet up before practice?” 

“Wanted to give you something,” Bokuto replied with a nervous smile. Then, in the most ungraceful manner possible, he shoved the plush into Akaashi’s arms, making the poor setter stumble backwards a couple steps. “Oh, shit, sorry.” 

“It’s fine,” Akaashi chuckled, standing up straight and taking a proper look at the plush. He quirked an eyebrow at it and tilted his head slightly to the side before looking back to Bokuto. “I thought you got this penguin for Rai-san?” 

“Not you too,” Bokuto groaned, slumping his shoulders and feigning a small tantrum. “How do you and Rai not see that it’s an owl?” 

“I’m sorry,” Akaashi laughed, squishing the penguin plush once and smiling at it. “It can be an owl if you want.” 

“I do, yes. That is what I want,” Bokuto resolutely said with a determined nod. Akaashi laughed. 

“Okay.” A pause. “So, is this mine, then?” 

“Yeah,” Bokuto replied with a smile, pulling his phone out of his pocket and pointing it at Akaashi. “Smile!” 

Before Akaashi could react, Bokuto snapped several pictures of the stunned and furiously blushing boy. Bokuto cackled like a madman as he stuffed his phone into his pocket and sprinted away from the stunned Akaashi. 

“Bokuto-san!” Akaashi called out, scowling at the ridiculous senior. Bokuto stopped in his tracks, spun around, and flashed Akaashi a bright and wild smile. 

“Check the tag!” Bokuto yelled back, pointing to his own ear with one hand and to the penguin with his other. 

With that, Bokuto ran towards the boy’s locker room, and Akaashi watched him leave in slight annoyance and absolute amusement. When Bokuto was out of sight, Akaashi looked down at the penguin plush and turned it over until he found a folded up note card stapled to the penguin’s ear. 

Quirking an eyebrow, Akaashi carefully detached the note and unfolded it. His eyes quickly scanned over the big, bold letters, and the most wondrous and magnificent smile graced Akaashi’s lips while a beautiful pink dusted his cheeks. 

_Hey stupid, I love you_ \-- Bokuto.

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is actually Bokuto's POV from a scene in a multi-chapter fiction I wrote called "Before you Go" that I posted to tumblr. If you wanna check that out, the link to my tumblr is on my bio :) It's a readerxKuroo fic, but I'm in the process and converting it to an OCxKuroo fic to post here after substantial edits (it was my first fic ever and my writing style has evolved a lot since I wrote it). I'm toying with the idea of writing the whole fic again but from Bokuto's POV, which is why I wrote this little story!
> 
> Also, this tale was inspired by the song "Hey stupid, I love you" by JP Saxe


End file.
